Tailored Learning Open Framework 2025

Procurement reference

DN777117

Procurement description

Nottinghamshire County Council (the Council) receives an annual grant from the Department for Education (DfE) via East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) to fund Community and Family Learning for adults aged 19+ in Nottinghamshire. The Council uses this Grant to ensure that local people have access to a range of flexible learning opportunities that contribute to their personal, social, educational and economic development. The vast majority of provision is delivered directly to the public via the Council's Contract with Inspire Learning. In addition to the contract to deliver direct services, Inspire Learning are also contracted to coordinate and manage supplementary contractors that deliver specialist provision that they do not deliver themselves.

Nottinghamshire County Council is seeking organisations who:

• are able to provide high quality Tailored Learning to adults over the age of 19 in Nottinghamshire. This provision should principally be courses that Inspire Learning is unable to deliver themselves;

• if subject to Ofsted inspections, their most recent inspection was graded Good (grade 2) or better;

• are not currently subject to a DfE notice to improve linked to their financial performance.

• will not be in receipt of Adult Skills Fund funding for the 2025-26 academic year; and

• directly deliver services.

Subcontracting is not allowed.

Providers are invited to tender for contracts for the following Community Learning provision:

• General Adult Learning

• Family Learning

• Discrete provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LLDD)

Main category

Services

Delivery regions

• UKF15 - North Nottinghamshire
• UKF16 - South Nottinghamshire

Total value (estimated, excluding VAT)

720000 GBP to 750000GBP

Contract dates (estimated)

03 November 2025, 00:00AM to 31 July 2027, 23:59PM

Extension end date (if all the extensions are used): 31 July 2028

Is a framework being established?

Yes

Is this an open framework scheme?

Yes

Nottinghamshire County Council

Procedure type

Open procedure

Is this procurement under a special regime?

Light touch

Is the total value above threshold?

Above threshold

Percentage fee charged to suppliers

0%

Type of framework

Closed

Open framework scheme end date (estimated)

31 July 2028, 23:59PM

Award method when using the framework

With reopening competition

Framework operation description

The scores for all award criteria will be totalled to give an overall score for each lot. The Council intends to select the suppliers that meet or exceed the minimum thresholds, for both Quality and the overall score as its successful bidders and place them on the framework.

Those successful framework providers will be ranked by their scores. Provider ranking will be used as part of the award criteria for allocation of Contracts.

There is no guarantee that providers that successfully make it on to the framework will be allocated any or all of the courses they are bidding for. We expect that in some circumstances there may be more providers than we can fund given the limited resources available.

The Council will decide on how the provision for each Lot will be allocated to successful Providers by considering the following criteria to co-ordinate a balanced curriculum and avoid unnecessary duplication:

• Quality 80%

• Price/ Value for money 20%

The following factors are also taken into account:

• Learner needs

• Course content

• Course location

• Maximum Contract value

The highest ranked provider in each Lot will be the provider that has the highest combined score of Quality & Price (Weight 80% Quality and 20% Price). Commissioners will work down the ranked list of providers for each Lot until the budget has been exhausted.

The Council reserves the right to use its discretion to pass over a supplier in a lot if there is a duplication of Course content, location or learner needs. Where a supplier is bidding for multiple Lots, the Council reserves the right to allocate Lots in any order when calculating the maximum contract value.

Description

Courses under this theme will be under either Employability (ACL1, ACL2, ACL 3 or ACL 4) or Health and Wellbeing (ACL1, ACL6 or ACL7).

Employability courses will build the confidence and basic skills for people not supported by Department of Work and Pensions programmes. Courses should not duplicate existing provision, for example basic CV writing and job searching. A need has been identified for short employability or pre-employability courses for some job seekers and under-employed people with very low-level literacy or numeracy skills. Learners with specific protected characteristics (as defined in the Equality Act 2010) may require tailored provision under this theme. Courses under this theme must have employability or pre-employability learning outcomes reflected in course planning and delivery.

Health and Wellbeing Courses will improve physical, emotional and mental health through group learning. Providers are encouraged to deliver courses that engage people who are disadvantaged and least likely to participate in learning, including people on low incomes, people with caring responsibilities, people experiencing isolation and loneliness and people with mental health issues. Learners with specific protected characteristics may require tailored provision under this theme. Courses under this theme must have health and wellbeing learning outcomes reflected in course planning and delivery.

CPV classifications

• 80400000 - Adult and other education services

Delivery regions

• UKF15 - North Nottinghamshire
• UKF16 - South Nottinghamshire

Lot value (estimated)

300000 GBP Excluding VAT

360000 GBP Including VAT

Sustainability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

Contract start date (estimated)

03 November 2025, 00:00AM

Contract end date (estimated)

31 July 2027, 23:59PM

Extension end date (estimated)

31 July 2028, 23:59PM

Can the contract be extended?

Yes

Description of extensions

This framework will be established for a duration of two years with the option to extend for a period of up to one year, at the discretion of the Council and subject to obtaining the relevant approvals.

Participation

Award criteria

Description

Family Learning courses strengthen families and improve the skills of parents to support their children, particularly in maths and English. Family Learning courses will fall within one of these curriculum areas: Literacy; Numeracy; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Health and Wellbeing; Creative Arts and could fall under any of ACL1-7. Courses can be adult-only or joint courses for adults and children.

CPV classifications

• 80400000 - Adult and other education services

Delivery regions

• UKF15 - North Nottinghamshire
• UKF16 - South Nottinghamshire

Lot value (estimated)

225000 GBP Excluding VAT

270000 GBP Including VAT

Sustainability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

Contract start date (estimated)

03 November 2025, 00:00AM

Contract end date (estimated)

31 July 2027, 23:59PM

Extension end date (estimated)

31 July 2028, 23:59PM

Can the contract be extended?

Yes

Description of extensions

This framework will be established for a duration of two years with the option to extend for a period of up to one year, at the discretion of the Council and subject to obtaining the relevant approvals.

Participation

Award criteria

Description

These are courses to improve the lives of people with learning difficulties and disabilities. They should enable Learners to actively participate in and contribute to their communities, making choices, taking decisions, speaking for themselves, taking responsibility for their actions and exercising control over their lives. These courses could fall under any of ACL1-7.

CPV classifications

• 80400000 - Adult and other education services

Delivery regions

• UKF15 - North Nottinghamshire
• UKF16 - South Nottinghamshire

Lot value (estimated)

225000 GBP Excluding VAT

270000 GBP Including VAT

Sustainability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

Contract start date (estimated)

03 November 2025, 00:00AM

Contract end date (estimated)

31 July 2027, 23:59PM

Extension end date (estimated)

31 July 2028, 23:59PM

Can the contract be extended?

Yes

Description of extensions

This framework will be established for a duration of two years with the option to extend for a period of up to one year, at the discretion of the Council and subject to obtaining the relevant approvals.

Participation

Award criteria

Award criteria

Tender submission deadline

12 September 2025, 12:00PM

Enquiry deadline

05 September 2025, 12:00PM

Date of award of contract

03 October 2025, 23:59PM

Submission address and any special instructions

Suppliers must submit their tenders through the e-tendering system below before the deadline shown in the e-tendering system. https://www.eastmidstenders.org/

May tenders be submitted electronically?

Yes

Is this a recurring procurement?

No

Publication date of next tender notice (estimated)

17 March 2026, 23:59PM

Languages that may be used for submission

• English